Table Of Content1
This book is dedicated to all those who have influenced, inspired
and supported me on my journey to better health.
—Darryl Edwards
Text Copyright © 2013 Darryl Edwards, Brett Stewart and Jason Warner. Design and concept Copyright © 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors.
Photographs Copyright © 2013 Rapt Productions except as noted below. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any
form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Published in the United States by
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440
Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com
ISBN13: 978-1-61243-207-6
Library of Congress Control Number 2013931800
Printed in the United States by Bang Printing
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Recipe Contributor: Corey Irwin
Acquisitions Editor: Keith Riegert
Managing Editor: Claire Chun
Editors: Lauren Harrison, Lily Chou
Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop
Index: Sayre Van Young
Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com
Production: Jake Flaherty
Cover photographs: © Rapt Productions
Interior photographs: page 29 © Kzenon/Shutterstock.com; page 135 Darryl Edwards pushing car © Phillip Waterman
Models: Darryl Edwards, Sabrina Rose Lau, Chad Taylor
Please Note
This book conveys the authors’ opinions and ideas based on their research and training, as well as each of their experiences with their clients.
This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only, and in no way should be used as a substitute
for consultation with health care professionals. You should not consider educational material herein to be the practice of medicine or to replace
consultation with a physician or other medical practitioner. You should always consult with your physician before altering or changing any aspect of
your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. The authors and publisher are providing
you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and
publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status and to consult health care professionals before beginning any health or diet program.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4
Part I: Overview 5
Introduction _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6
What Is the Paleolithic Diet? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10
Being Paleo: Darryl’s Story _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14
Part II: Paleo Nutrition 16
Food for the Modern Caveman _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17
2-Week Paleo Meal Plan _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24
Part III: Paleo Workouts 26
What Is Fitness? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 27
Getting Started with Paleo Fitness _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31
Paleo Fitness Programs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 33
Weekly Programming _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 35
Level I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 36
Level II _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 44
Level III _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 52
The Exercises _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 60
Appendix 142
Measurements for Health _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 143
Recipes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 154
FAQs 174
Resources 177
Index 169
Acknowlegements 182
About the Authors 183
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FOREWORD
Everyone is on a “diet.” Everything you see on TV, read online, browse in the latest magazines, or even spot on a subway
advertisement contains the latest and greatest “secret tip” or “magic pill” or “can’t-lose celebrity diet.” Not only is it impossible
to avoid the deluge of carefully crafted marketing messages and big-time star endorsements, it’s even more difficult to make
sense of it all and figure out what’s right for you—not just for the next few weeks while you’re “on a diet,” but for the rest of your
life. “On a diet” is a ludicrous phrase that refers to a finite amount of time where you diverge from consistent eating patterns
and essentially make yourself miserable in order to attempt to quickly lose weight, only to put all that weight (and more) back
on when you end the insanity. Lose-gain-lose-gain, yo-yo dieting isn’t only unhealthy physically, it’s a mental mind-scramble that
leads to a distorted body image, even more confusion about how to use nutrition properly, and eventually a total disregard for
healthy food choices—essentially giving up.
Nutrition and fitness combined are the most important investments that we can ever make during our lifetime, as the benefits
are immediately apparent: a healthier, happier, and longer life filled with activities and adventures. The virtues of a sound
mind and body have been etched in our collective consciousness since the dawn of man; even in the earliest cave drawings,
humans were crudely depicted as fit and strong when they hunted mighty beasts. There wasn’t a spare tire of bulging gut to
be found. With all the advances humans have made in the ten thousand years since the Paleolithic era, it appears that modern
man’s waistline has expanded significantly as well.
Over the past decade during my journey of knowledge in nutrition, activity, adventure, functional training, fitness and endurance
races, I’ve studied, experimented with, and written about vegetarianism, veganism, no-carb, carbohydrate manipulation, high-
protein and nutrition for ultra-endurance athletes. Now, with the knowledge and guidance from one of the premiere spokespeople
for Paleo fitness and nutrition, Darryl Edwards, and the tireless research and testing of my right-hand man, Jason Warner, I’m
pleased to present Paleo Fitness: A Nutrition and Training Program for Athletes on the Caveman Diet.
This book’s roots are based in sound nutritional advice and science, not a diet craze or fitness fad. The nutritional lessons we
explore have existed for millennia. The functional movements are inspired by and crafted for the actions you perform every
day. Using these functional movements, we’ll open up an entirely new world of possibilities for your own exercise. What you’ll
find on these pages is more than a diet or a fitness regimen—it’s a sustainable lifestyle change that can yield extremely positive
results for your body and mind!
I hope you enjoy reading this book and following along with the exercises, recipes, and tips. It has been an eye-opening and
exciting journey for me, and I trust it will be for you as well.
—Brett Stewart
coauthor of The Vegan Athlete
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PART I:
OVERVIEW
5
INTRODUCTION
So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their
health. —A. J. Reb Materi
Thanks to medical advances and improvements in hygiene, we’re all living longer lives but are sicker than ever before. An ever-
increasing majority are burdened with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes), cancers,
diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, all inextricably linked to the lifestyle choices we make.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that most of these noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have a strong correlation
and causation with four risk factors: tobacco use, lack of physical activity, alcohol abuse and poor nutrition. These lifestyle
decisions lead to detectable physiological changes with high risk of death. Elevated blood pressure is the leading risk factor
attributed to 13% of deaths globally, followed by tobacco use (9%), elevated blood glucose (6%), physical inactivity (6%) and
being overweight or obese (5%). In 2008, NCDs contributed to 63% of all deaths globally. By 2030,NCDs are anticipated to
cause 75% of global deaths.
One thing’s for certain: Opting for a quick fix isn’t the answer for the long term. Prevention has to be the ultimate goal. The good
news is these risk factors are preventable and reversible.
One possible solution to getting a lean, healthy body lies with our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Anthropological evidence tells
us that our Paleolithic forebears were lean, tall and athletic and avoided the chronic diseases that plague us today. By looking
backward to move forward, we can reintroduce key elements of our ancestors’ lifestyle—better food choices, appropriate
physical activity and stress management will mitigate the risks associated with the development of chronic disease. Going
back to the better aspects of even a generation or two ago would lead to better health today.
I used to believe (and the contemporary viewpoints offered in most circles still suggest) that the answer to improving one’s
health is to clear the residue from the past, take a deep breath, refocus and continue. There are times when your computer
doesn’t respond to tweaking, and the only way to accomplish the desired result of a healthy PC is to “reboot” it. As humans, we
may decide on a detox to wipe the slate clean; however, a “reboot” just like a “detox” works only in the short term. The only way
to ensure long-term benefit is to perform an “upgrade.” An upgrade is what I’m mandating here: an “upgrade” of our mindset
to encompass a lifestyle change. Paleo Fitness should not be seen as a quick fix but as an effective method to kick-start a new
attitude toward food, activity and life.
According to food behavior expert Brian Wansink in his book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, we make
nearly 200 food-related decisions every day, 90% of which are subconscious. David Kessler elaborates on this further in the
book The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. To summarize both Wansink and Kessler, we
overeat because of signals in our environment.
We have a basic instinctive drive to seek out high-calorie, energy-dense foods in times of plenty to ensure survival once food
becomes scarce. Unfortunately, most of the foods manufactured today are energy dense but nutritionally void. If we only eat
these foods occasionally, then arguably there’s minimal impact, but the abundance at every opportunity makes them difficult
to resist. It’s difficult to make the right food choices with all of the many distractions available to us, especially when it’s part of
our genetic blueprint to react this way.
In Paleo Fitness, we’ll share my journey as a personal trainer, movement coach, and fitness and health explorer who, like
countless others, has transformed his strength, fitness and well-being since adopting a Paleolithic lifestyle. We’ll suggest
uncomplicated strategies that lead to better decision making for health. We’ll also share deliciously practical Paleo recipes
created by an award-winning chef that are extremely nutritious, delivering examples of food for an individual to get lean, strong
and healthier while following the beginner, intermediate or advanced fitness plans included in the appendix.
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Food Myths
There’s so much conflicting information out there about diet, nutrition and exercise. Pseudoscience, myths and old wives’ tales
abound and the public is quite rightly often skeptical and confused. What we hear is often ambiguous and confusing. What
are we to believe?
Which of the following statements do you think are true about diet and exercise?
• Eating too much fat causes you to store fat.
• Eating high levels of fat causes you to burn fat.
• Eating carbohydrates after a certain time of the day will drive your body to store the calories as excess fat.
• Eating excessive carbohydrates at any time will cause your body to store the calories as fat.
• We can be overweight and healthy.
• Being overweight is unhealthy.
• Not eating breakfast will cause your body to enter starvation mode so you’re more likely to gain weight.
• Eating a high-protein meal at breakfast means you’ll be less likely to snack during the day.
• Exercising on an empty stomach will cause you to burn fat for energy.
• Exercising on an empty stomach will cause you to release the stress hormone cortisol, which will break down body tissue,
preventing fat loss and promoting muscle wastage.
• Genetics determine whether you have a slow or fast metabolism and there’s nothing you can do about it.
• Lifestyle has more impact on our metabolism than genetics do.
• To lose weight, you must eat less and exercise more.
• To lose weight, you must eat less fat.
• Our metabolisms slow down as we age, so we gain weight as we age.
• Our metabolism is constant throughout our lives; a lack of activity as we age causes us to put on weight.
• Exercise in your fat-burning zone by doing cardio activities to lose weight.
• Build muscle to burn fat by doing strength and resistance exercises.
• High-intensity workouts will blitz body fat and build muscle.
• Eat whatever you want as long you do enough exercise.
• Eat the right foods at the right times to maintain your ideal weight.
• Eat one very large meal a day, then fast for the rest of the day to burn fat.
• Eat three square meals a day just like your grandmother used to do.
• Eat five to six times a day so as not to overload the digestive system.
• Eat little and often, grazing like a cow, to keep blood sugar levels constant.
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.
• Detox every two weeks to rid the body of toxins and lose weight in the process.
• Don’t eat carbs after midday, 2 p.m, 4 p.m.—or is it supposed to be after 6 p.m.?
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Overweight or Obese?
Overweight refers to an individual weighing more than his or her recommended healthy weight. Obesity is a medical condition in
which excess body fat has accumulated to the point where it will have an adverse effect on health and life expectancy, and will
increase the risk of contracting other life-threatening diseases, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood
pressure.
The worldwide obesity epidemic is a relatively new phenomenon. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), in the report “Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit Not Fat,” stated that in 1980 obesity rates were well below 10%.
Since then, the rates have doubled or tripled in the world’s 33 richest countries.
In 2008, 1.5 billion adults over 20 years old were overweight, globally. Of these, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women
were obese. In comparison, there are 870 million people who are chronically hungry.
A recent report by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation forecasts that more than half of Americans will
be obese by 2030.
It’s all far too confusing! The health benefits of certain foods one week seem to be contradicted by follow-up research the next.
Eggs, for example, are back in favor after years of concern about dietary cholesterol; current research shows that eggs reduce
“bad” LDL cholesterol levels in the blood based on the nutrient choline, and they actively decrease blood pressure. Other
research states that dietary cholesterol has no impact on serum cholesterol levels in the body. It’s a recipe for confusion and
often leaves us with more questions than answers.
Each successive post-war generation has enjoyed an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, accompanied by an increase in obesity.
Obesity, already associated with high-income countries in the West, is now increasingly prevalent in middle- and low-income
countries, too. General efforts aimed at helping people lose weight have so far proven ineffective. Obesity triggers many
secondary health issues, a primary concern for public health organizations worldwide.
The Diet Smorgasbord
I personally dislike the associations around the word “diet.” Why? Because it usually suggests something that’s temporary. It’s
often used when referring to the eating habits of people who restrict and limit foods to change their body shape for the short
term. A “diet” conjures up a punishing regimen requiring significant self-sacrifice that isn’t something you plan to do for the rest
of your life. But when we investigate the origins of the word diet from the ancient Greek word diaita or from the Latin diaeta, it
means “the prescribed way of life.” This is how we should approach Paleo nutrition—not as a limitation but an enhancement to
one’s way of living.
Let’s take a look at some of the diet choices available before we put the Paleo diet into context.
THE LOWS: These are diets based on eating lower proportions of a macronutrient (fat, protein or carbohydrate). Common
examples include low-fat diets like the Pritikin Diet and the Dean Ornish Diet. Low-carbohydrate diets, like the Atkins Diet, Carb-
Buster and the South Beach Diet, are increasingly seen as effective ways to lose weight in the short term. Low-protein diets are
primarily designed for those diagnosed with kidney or liver disease. “The Lows” also include meal plans aimed to significantly
reduce calorie intake for short periods of time, such as the 500 Calorie a Day Diet, the Cambridge Diet and Medifast.
THE HIGHS: These are diets based on eating relatively high proportions of macronutrients, such as the high-protein diets
used by bodybuilders and weightlifters on a long-term basis to build lean muscle mass and burn fat in conjunction with a mostly
anaerobic, resistance-based workout. There are high-carbohydrate diets, like the 80/10/10 Diet or the McDougall Diet, which
aim to totally eliminate fats. On the other end of the spectrum, high-fat diets usually fall into the category of ketogenic diets,
which are used primarily as treatment for refractory epilepsy in young children, as well as morbid obesity, type 2 diabetes,
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. These diets force the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates as
energy.
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The list of other “popular” nutritional plans goes on. There’s the Zone Diet, the Blood Type Diet, acid-alkaline diets, Glycemic
Index diets, mono food diets, vegetarianism, veganism, the fruitarian diet, the macrobiotic diet and even the breatharian diet.
The latter is based on the belief that the only energy humans need for survival are oxygen and sunlight.
The Western Pattern Diet, otherwise known as the Standard American Diet (SAD), typifies the diet of affluence in developed
countries and is increasingly adopted in developing countries. This diet is rich in highly refined carbohydrates, high levels of
dissolved sugar in the form of sweetened drinks, high levels of salt and artificial flavorings, poor-quality fats, processed meat
and a lack of fresh fruit, fish, meat and vegetables. This diet is linked to everything from poor behavior in children to depression
and increased risk of lifestyle diseases.
The lack of sustainable weight-loss success certainly isn’t due to a lack of knowledge. It’s likely we have more information
available on food and nutrition than at any time in human history. Most of the information we rely on has one fundamental flaw:
It ignores nature and the historical context of mankind. The choices we make now need to be considered on that basis. When
we deviate from nature and our heritage as hunter-gatherers, we do so to our detriment.
Just forget about dieting and focus on your diet.
From nearly the first word to the last, this book documents not just one but several journeys into learning about the Paleo
lifestyle, diet, fitness plan and movements to profoundly change the individuals who have and will take this trip. The vast
majority of the book follows Darryl’s research and development of training plans for himself and his clients that put the “fun”
back in functional fitness—with some remarkable results. Jason changed his body composition and way of looking at nutrition,
which potentially prevented developing diabetes. Brett developed a much deeper appreciation for functional fitness that led
to him becoming a better athlete and trainer, and even helped to spawn his writing career. Corey Irwin, nutritional expert and
recipe developer, spent hundreds of hours creating and testing the recipes you’ll find in this book, along the way modifying her
own nutritional intake to reap the benefits of the Paleo diet.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about following the Paleo lifestyle, beginning to embrace Paleo nutrition and
functional cross-training into your daily routine or are already practicing Paleo, this book features plenty of in-depth nutritional
and fitness information that you’ll find extremely helpful to achieve your goals.
The authors’ results have been nothing short of eye-opening. Incorporating all or a some of the Paleo lifestyle that you’ll find in
this book can have a positive effect on your health and overall well-being.
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WHAT IS THE PALEOLITHIC DIET?
The Paleolithic diet, also known as the Stone Age, caveman, ancestral or hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern interpretation of
what our ancestors ate in Paleolithic (Stone Age) times as hunter-gatherers.
You may have heard of the Paleo diet from a friend or relative, or read about it in a book or magazine. Many people try Paleo
in hopes of enhancing their overall health, to prevent and fight disease or to change their body composition. It’s common for
individuals to reduce their body fat percentage and maintain an ideal weight relatively quickly, usually kick-started with a 30-
day challenge of some kind. These are all good reasons to try the Paleo diet, but many people stick with it even after they’ve
accomplished their short-term goals.
The idea of a modern diet based on ancient ancestry goes back to a book published in 1938 entitled Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration: A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects by Dr. Weston Price, who traveled extensively
across the globe and observed that whenever modern diets were taken on by non-Westernized groups of people, their health
plummeted. Since Price’s research, many other scientists have similarly found that a diet more in keeping with what our
ancestors ate keeps populations healthier.
The Paleolithic era is assumed to cover over 2.5 million years, ending around 20,000 years ago. The foods of this period
consisted of lean meats, fowl, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts and fruit. It didn’t include sugar, grains, dairy products, legumes
(beans), salt, or processed and artificial foods.
Researchers examining health from an anthropological perspective have found that our ancestors were lean, tall, strong, fit and
in good health. After taking into account the daily risks of being eaten by predators, short life expectancy at birth, poor hygiene
or contracting infectious diseases, life expectancy was as good as the present day. They were also free of the chronic lifestyle
diseases that afflict us today. There’s evidence that not only were our ancestors’ periods of intense activity beneficial, diet also
was key to their health.
When did this all change?
The Science behind the Diet
There are many studies that support this modern take on the Paleolithic diet. One study widely reported in the British press in 2008
was the trial run by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Subjects were only allowed to eat fruit, vegetables, lean meat, fish, and nuts. All beans, grains (wheat, rice) alcohol, sugar, and juices
were banned. In just three weeks the subjects lost an average of 5 pounds, their waist circumference reduced by 0.2 inches, they saw
a 5% decrease in blood pressure and had 72% lower levels of a blood-clotting agent that could cause heart attacks and strokes.
Dr. Per Wandell noted at the time, “Short-term intervention with a Paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers showed some favorable effects
on cardiovascular risk factors.”
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